WHAT DO YOU FEED YOUR KIDS?
I love this topic and hope to find some great meals that my kids will actually eat.
I'll just start out by saying my kids were great eaters until they had to eat 'real' meals. Like anything that wasn't mush kind of meals. I buy alot of natural foods and organic but yes, the bag of chicken nuggets or mini corn dogs has passed the door of my freezer more often than I'd like to admit.
As babies I made all their baby food from fresh organic fruits and veggies and once they graduated to toddler meals I continued to use a variety of new flavors and food combinations in hopes they would eat anything as big kids...well, I failed at that one. Once the mush meals turned to solid meals that looked and tasted different, it was all down hill. The plate pushing began. I used to try to please everyone and alot of times would end up being a short order cook and making something different for everyone....BUT, now I'm a mean mom and I cook one thing and say, 'eat it or be hungry!' Sometimes it works and sometimes it makes for a VERY winey dinner and a whole lot of, 'eww, I don't like this' or 'it doesn't look good'. AND, many times it means the girls end up eating fruit for dinner...which is better than nothing. But we do have one rule which is followed pretty well and that is you sit at the table until everyone (that is eating) is done....then you can get your fruit. It works most of the time.....with a few reminders!!
I believe that the kids will eat if they are hungry and skipping a meal won't hurt them. I promise, they won't starve!!
Breakfast is usually something quick and easy since London is in school now...cereal, oatmeal or waffles. I refuse to buy any 'sugary' cereal so London has settled for the Special K chocolaty delight. I know, I know, it has chocolate but I can pick out most of it and she doesn't know! Occasionally we do the Sunday morning donut stop if we have time before church....which isn't often! OR, if I'm up to it on a Saturday and London is patient she loves a good country breakfast...pancakes, biscuits, eggs, sausage, bacon!!
Lunch is a no brainer for London...she likes routine and consistency so she takes the same thing to school every day.....ham/cheese sandwich, cheese cubes, salt free pretzles, and an apple with water to drink. Kinley is hard to feed. Lately she has wanted a tee-bo sinch (peanut butter sandwich). She isn't a big eater and alot of times only takes 4 or 5 bites so if I can get her to eat a few bites of sandwich and a few bites of fruit...I'm doing good.
Favorite dinner meals for the girls .... besides chicken nuggets, pizza, and mac-n-cheese are....
Paula Deen's Chicken Pot Pie (from her kids cookbook ... and I load it with veggies), chicken empanadas, spaghetti & garlic bread... I love sneaking in extra veggies in the sauce (except London has decided she doesn't like sauce)
I have a one snack rule for London, since she gets a snack at school. She can come home and have one 'junk' snack after school but it has to be before dinner but not right before.....most of the time it is right after school. Since Kinley is 2, she gets 2 snacks....one mid morning which is usually fruit, yogurt or sometimes goldfish, cheerios, or cheese and her afternoon snack is usually what London is having....just to prevent a fit!! :) BUT it isn't always junk. Lately I have been able to please her with sliced apples and peanut butter!!
Other foods that I feel like a good mom over are eggs (boiled, scrambled....) fruit smoothies (made with real fruit & yogurt), nuts (no nut allergies here!!).
I love this post and love reading all the other responses at Kelly's Korner too. It makes me feel like I'm not the only one who's kids only want chicken nuggets and mac-n-cheese 24/7. I'm hoping their little taste buds will grow out of all that food that makes me feel like a bad mom for feeding it to them. But in the mean time, I'll try to make meal time as fuss free as possible....except dinner...that's where I say, 'eat or be hungry'!!
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